High-school lacrosse: Faceoffs are game within the game

Friday

May 17, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 17, 2013 at 9:33 AM

Matt Wylly is like every other American teenager in search of rhythm in that he has hundreds - if not thousands - of songs on his iPod. The track that is getting the most play lately isn't top 10 on the music charts, but the voice of a lacrosse referee shouting, "Down, set" and then the sound of a whistle.

Mark Znidar, The Columbus Dispatch

Matt Wylly is like every other American teenager in search of rhythm in that he has hundreds — if not thousands — of songs on his iPod.

The track that is getting the most play lately isn’t top 10 on the music charts, but the voice of a lacrosse referee shouting, “Down, set” and then the sound of a whistle.

Wylly, a senior midfielder for Worthington Kilbourne, will do anything it takes to get an edge in winning the faceoff, which arguably is the most important play in the sport.

His parents have grown accustomed to thumping emanating from his room. It’s Matt wearing ear buds simulating a faceoff with a stick and ball on the carpeting.

“That helps my timing,” Wylly said. “I will do the drill over and over again. It’s a big part of the game. You win a faceoff and you control the ball.”

Faceoffs occur before each quarter and after each goal, and winning a majority of them can help a team dictate the pace of a game.

Upper Arlington senior midfielder Gus Ackley, who is regarded as one of the best at faceoffs in the Columbus area, appreciates what Wylly is doing.

“It gets hectic down there,” Ackley said. “It’s fun to have the game on you, but it’s not so fun if the other guy kicks your butt. Faceoffs involve so much feel, but also so much strength and quickness.”

Golden Bears coach Ted Wolford said there is nothing more terrifying for a goalkeeper than a team that wins faceoff after faceoff and fast-breaks toward him.

Some teams have faceoff specialists called FOGOs, which is short for “faceoff, get off” the field for a replacement.

No team knows the value of winning faceoffs more than Dublin Jerome. In 2012, the Celtics reached the Division I championship game with Joe Bano and Chris Kendall winning more than 70 percent. Bano is a freshman at the University of Denver and Kendall a freshman at Quinnipiac.

“The faceoff really is an art,” Celtics assistant Dave Ames said. “You need so many qualities, such as speed and strength. You must anticipate the whistle, and that’s difficult because this year in particular a lot of referees are changing up the timing of when they blow the whistle.”

But Jerome senior J.B. Smith, a defender, often does not attempt to win a faceoff. He’ll let an opponent win the draw and use his long arms and legs to block the man and get the ball or knock it to a teammate.

“I’m a defensive faceoff man,” Smith said. “My job is to take my man out so I can get the ball or a teammate can get it. It’s important that you learn the other player’s favorite moves and play against it.”

The mechanics of the faceoff are caveman-like, with one player from each team crouching with a stick parallel to the midfield line ready to do anything it takes to win the ball.

The referee places the ball down and moves back. He commands the players to the down and then set positions. They align the backs of the netting of their sticks inches from the ball. They cannot lean over the line or backward.

The whistle blows and the fight for the ball begins.

Josh Happ, a junior midfielder and sometime faceoff man for Kilbourne, said some players will bend the rules.

“With some guys, it’s about whatever you can get away with,” he said. “They say if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. I think we play by the rules. The refs keep close watch over you.”

Ames, who is Jerome’s faceoff coach, said the most popular tactic is the “pinch and pop,” where a player attempts to cover the ball with his stick and pop it away.

“Fifteen years ago, the faceoff used to be a chess match,” Ames said. “There were a lot of moves. Now, it’s about quickness. We teach our guys to block out the world and listen for the whistle.”

The other team receives possession of the ball if a player jumps the whistle.

In high-school lacrosse, where there is no shot clock, possession is priceless. Teams can dictate the pace of the game by taking as many as three and four minutes to get off a shot.

“You win a faceoff in lacrosse, and it’s very much like the make it, take it of backyard basketball,” Wolford said. “It’s grappling. Winning faceoffs is especially important the higher the level because there are fewer turnovers when the really good teams play.”

Ackley said physical ability helps.

“It helps to have a low center of gravity, and that’s why so many wrestlers have success,” he said. “I don’t wrestle, but I do try to stay low to the ground.”